Everton 1 Crystal Palace 1
Everton and Liverpool overlooked Scott Dann as a youngster growing up in their midst, but no longer. The Crystal Palace defender marked his Merseyside homecoming with another headed goal but, unlike his winner at Liverpool last month, the fairytale return did not transpire. Romelu Lukaku continued his outstanding goal streak to bag a merited point for Roberto Martinez’s side.
Lukaku’s 14th goal of the campaign – and 50th in his first 100 appearances for Everton – ensured the £28m record signing scored for the sixth game in succession. He currently has Jamie Vardy in his sights, not only in the race to be the leading goalscorer in the Premier League this season.
Merseyside holds no concern for Crystal Palace. Few places do, in fairness, with only Arsenal winning more points on their travels than the Eagles since Alan Pardew took over in January. Last month they inflicted the first defeat of Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool reign at Anfield and last season they recorded a second successive 3-2 win at Goodison Park. They returned without the suspended Wilfried Zaha but strengthened in central midfield by a first league start of the season for captain Mile Jedinak, and their confidence was immediately apparent.
Connor Wickham forced the first save of the game from Tim Howard with only 44 seconds gone and was close to giving Palace an early lead from Yannick Bolasie’s cross. Jedinak glanced across goal from Jason Puncheon’s corner and, from Bolasie’s return, the big striker launched himself into a low header that Howard saved superbly at point-blank range.
Given Romelu Lukaku’s commanding form, however, the visitors were never going to monopolise the threat. Scott Dann and Damien Delaney’s performances against the in-form Belgium international were just as important to Pardew’s gameplan and their battles simmered nicely throughout. Lukaku had scored six goals in Everton’s last five matches but his link-up play this season has been equally impressive.
The striker told the Belgian media at the weekend that the difference in his form for Everton and the national team stems from the freedom granted by Roberto Martínez. That licence has also been given to Ross Barkley and Arouna Koné, and both almost profited from Lukaku lay-offs inside the Palace area.
Barkley curled a first time shot just over Wayne Hennessey’s crossbar from the angle of the penalty area while Koné sliced wide when released on the left. The home side’s best chance inevitably came from Lukaku, who twice exchanged passes with Barkley and beat Hennessey with a powerful shot from 18 yards that cannoned off the inside of the keeper’s right-hand post and rebounded to safety.
Wayne Rooney was in the director’s box along with his son, Kai, to watch his boyhood team while Manchester United prepare for a crucial Champions League test in Wolfsburg without their injured captain. He will have been familiar with the long wait for a breakthrough. Gerard Deulofeu saw plenty of possession on Everton’s right wing but the recently irrepressible Spaniard struggled to find his crossing or shooting range in the first half and several promising openings were squandered as a consequence.
Palace worked tirelessly to close down Deulofeu, Barkley and Lukaku whenever they received the ball and the contest became a test of Everton’s patience the longer they struggled to find a way in behind the opposition defence. Set pieces increasingly appeared the most likely hope of a goal for both teams. The visitors forced a series of corners at the start of the second half and then benefited from a huge slice of fortune when the woodwork came to their rescue for a second time.
Joel Ward escaped a booking for pulling down Brendan Galloway as the young left-back looked to break free down the left. From the resulting free-kick by Barkley, who had earlier headed a Kone cross wide, Wickham attempted to clear but succeeded only in glancing the dangerous delivery over his head and onto his own crossbar. The ball dropped inches in front of the goal-line before Jedinak hooked clear.
Howard made an important save with his legs from Yannick Bolasie after the winger broke free for the first time in the game and escaped on the outside of John Stones before sending in a low shot. Hennessey then went one better with a superb fingertip save to deny Tom Cleverley when the former Manchester United midfielder, starting in place of the injured James McCarthy, volleyed Lukaku’s touch towards the top corner.
The threat level from Everton, and Deulofeu in particular, was growing yet it was Palace who made the breakthrough after catching Martínez’s side on the counter-attack. Howard produced another fine stop to deny Puncheon after Wickham and Yohan Cabaye had combined on the break but, from Puncheon’s subsequent corner, Dann always had the run on Gareth Barry and sent a towering header beyond the American international goalkeeper from six yards.
Everton almost struck back immediately but, incredibly, hit the woodwork for a third time when Lukaku beat Hennessey with a dipping left-foot shot from 25 yards, only for the bar to intervene. He would not be denied.
Finally Deulofeu did find his range from the right-hand side, having been released by Barkley. The winger fired a low cross along the face of the Palace goal and Lukaku arrived at the back post to convert his seventh goal in six games and score a deserved equaliser.
(Guardian Service)
